I've really wanted this camera more or less since the day it was announced. This because I realize that my Nikon D7000 is staying more and more behind when I go out since I get so tired of carrying it around all day. However, a few months back I got the Canon S95 for my birhtday, but I never was really happy with the picturequality from it. Especially those taken in low-light conditions. But at least it's easy to bring along as it fit into any pocket.

But after reading pages and pages of reviews of the X100 I realized that this is probably exactly what I was looking for. Great low-light performance in a small (but expensive) package. But while I still wanted this camera really bad I also became more and more reluctant to spend so much money on the X100 because of all the complaints and negative remarks it got. Especially within this forum. But at the same time I could not help noticing that the images it produced were just awesome, and for me that is the important part. Then I started reading reviews from a few (pro) photographers out there which seemed maybe a bit more focused on shooting techniques etc instead of just the technical quirks of this camera and they were in general very very positive to the X100. E.g. typical conclusions like "best camera I ever owned", "brings the joy back into photography" etc.

So a couple of weeks ago I took my chances and bought one. And I must say, I have not regretted it for a second. This camera is really really great! Of course as you all know it looks and feels great. But more importantly the picturequality is just amazing - straight out of the camera. I love my D7000 (and will probably keep it for its reach) but for most things the X100 is what I hereafter will be dragging along.

And to all of you who still are reluctant to buy the X100 because of all its negative remarks in various forums etc. all I can say is, disregard them. The "quirks" people refer to are, in my opinion, blown way out of their proportions. Just to mention the most common ones:

Hopeless (and unstable) firmware:

Nope, the firmware has not crashed on me once. Maybe the menus are laid out a bit differently from what Nikon and Canon users are used to but I still find it fairly logic in use. Its crisp, quick and responsive to navigate. Also, for this camera I hardly have to dive into the menus while out shooting since auto-iso works so amazingly well.

Slow start-up and write-to-card speed.

Its slower than my D7000 but so are all my other cameras. But it is not that slow. Start-up abt. 2 seconds (or less). The same amount of time I need from I press 'on' until I am ready to shoot with my eye looking through the viewfinder. With regards to write-speed if you use JPEG-RAW (the slowest option) then waiting time after capture are a few seconds but for everything else it is quick enough to never be an issue (for me at least).

Sticky apperture:

Some report the X100 has failed on them, some don't. However, the same applies for everything else I own, i.e. the car, the imac, the wife. In fact, none of my previous cameras have been 100% fault-free either. If it fails it fails. Then I just ask Fuji to fix it. In the mean time I will be out shooting (pictures).

Battery goes into the camera both ways:

Are you kidding me? If this is an issue, I mean, if people are unable to insert a battery the correct way without some sort of guides preventing them to mess things up I don't think they are ready yet for...for...well...most things really.

None of the above "issues" have bothered me, even though (typically enough) they all bothered me a lot before I actually bought the camera. I therefore should probably stop reading all these reviews and instead try out things for myself from now on.

Anyway, and for the sake of good order, I don't mean disrespect to all those who bought this camera but managed to get a bad copy. Like I said, (sh)it happens. All I am trying to say, to those that still worries (to much), the X100 is a fantastic camera and its faults are few and mostly insignificant.

Just for fun I've also included a few examples of pictures I took with the X100 the other days. But please do not come down hard on me for all the faults you will find in my images with respect to composition, color, exposure etc. I am a true novice in the world of photography but hoping to learn lots and lots from all you great photographers out there. And I expect the X100 to be my tool on this fabulous journey. And as you may see, I love B&W.

Kind regards

PS: to protect the lens of my X100 I got a Fuji 49mm filter adapter and added on a 49-52mm step-up-ring. This way I can use filters which I already got for my D7000. Even better, I can use the excellent Nikon lenscap instead of the original one that came with the camera. Please see the included pictures. The strap is nicked from my S95 (which I hardly ever use anymore).